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- Title
Influence of environmental factors on surface activity of Paruroctonus marksi (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae) in the Mojave Desert.
- Authors
Nisani, Zia; Frederick, Destiny; Garcia-Plascencia, Alejandro; Lopez, Daian; Miller, Robert; Linhsan Trinh-Nguyen
- Abstract
Many environmental factors may influence the activity pattern of scorpions in arid ecosystems. We investigated the seasonal variations of Paruroctonus marksi scorpion activity in the Mojave Desert (California, USA). Black light surveys were carried out within two 100 x 100 m plots from August 2017 to September 2018. The majority (85%) of scorpions were found in open areas compared with being in vegetation. The presence of P. marksi was positively correlated with both water vapor pressure and soil temperature, while moon illumination had no significant effect on P. marksi foraging behavior. Scorpions might be using humidity as an indicator of prey abundance and since they are not visual hunters, and moonlight does not affect their surface activity possibly due to lack of visual hunters in the study site.
- Subjects
MOJAVE Desert; SCORPIONS; FORAGING behavior; PREY availability; VAPOR pressure; WATER pressure
- Publication
Euscorpius, 2022, Issue 364, p1
- ISSN
1536-9307
- Publication type
Article